3 Recent Serial Killers in the US that Haven’t Been Caught

In recent years, the love for true crime has really skyrocketed. Most seem to focus on old cases, though. You hear about famous serial murders like Ted Bundy or John Wayne Gacy all the time. But what about more recent murders? What about the ones that haven’t been caught yet?

Here are three serial killers from the last 20 years that are still out there roaming free.

Jeff Davis 8/ Jennings 8

In Jefferson Davis Parrish, Louisiana, the bodies of 8 women were found between 2005 and 2009. They were all found in the swamps and canals surrounding Jennings, Louisiana.

Possibly one of the craziest facts about the victims is that they all knew each other in some capacity. Some of them even knew each other quite well. They all were police informants about the local drug scene. This spikes a lot of suspicion for me, personally.

Most of the bodies were discovered in such a state of decay that the cause of death could not be determined. Only two of the women have a known cause of death. Both had had their throats slit.

The Jeff Davis 8 victims are Loretta Lewis, Ernestine Marie Daniels Patterson, Kristen Gary Lopez, Whitnei Dubois, Laconia "Muggy" Brown, Crystal Shay Benoit Zeno, Brittney Gary, and Necole Guillory.

Unfortunately, a lot of evidence for this case has either been lost or is considered missing. There has not been enough evidence to convict any of the suspects for the crimes. Their murders remain unsolved.

The Criagslist Ripper

After some research, it seems this one has many different names: the Craigslist Ripper, the Long Island Serial Killer (LISK), Gilgo Beach Killer. No matter what you decide to call him, he’s still just as awful.

Over the course of several years, it is believed that he strangled and dismembered at least 10 and up to 16 people. Most of these people were sex workers the posted ads on the popular site Craigslist. He arranged online to meet up with them and then murdered them upon arrival. The dismembered bodies were disposed of along areas of the South Shore of Long Island.

In December of 2010, while looking for Shannan Gilbert. Gilbert had called 911 in May because she believed her client was going to kill her. She then disappeared. Officer John Mallia’s cadaver dog finally found a scent that led to discovering 4 separate bodies all within 500 feet of each other.

In March and April of the following year, police found partial remains that matched others they had found in other locations dating back as far as 1996. Other bodies were also found at this time.

The identified victims of the Craigslist Ripper are Maureen Brainard, Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Costello, Jessica Taylor, and Valarie Mack. Still unidentified are an African American woman with a heart-shaped peach with a bite out of it and two drips falling from its core, her toddler daughter’s remains were also found, an Asian male, and an unidentified female.

Shannon Gilbert’s body would not be found for another entire year. Her cause of death is listed as contested so it is unclear if police believe her to be one of the Craiglist Ripper’s victims.

There is so much to uncover here and I plan on doing a more in-depth dive into it soon. Keep an eye out for that!

The Smiley Face Killer

This one is more of a theory than a proven serial killer. Regardless, it hits close to home for me. I believe there was a victim of the Smiley Face Killer in my own city. It was a very heartbreaking case to see unfold. From what I can find, Dakota James is the most recent person thought to be a victim of the Smiley Face Killer in 2017.

Since the 90s, over 45 college-aged men have supposedly become intoxicated and drowned. These men were from at least 11 different states. The circumstances and the murderers being so widespread have led to a lot of differing opinions. Some believe that it is ludicrous to believe this is a serial killer.

Retired detectives Kevin Gannon and Anthony Duarte and r. Lee Gilbertson, a criminal justice professor were the ones to come up with this Smiley Face Killer theory. Their investigations started way back in 1997.

I’m sure you’re wondering “why the smiley face killer?” Well, near most of the crime scenes, a spray-painted smiley face was found near where they believe the bodies had been dumped. Seems a little too odd to just be a coincidence. Either way, this is a very interesting theory. There is so much yet to be uncovered.

There has not been much movement in this case since 2011. In 2017, a man that had previously murdered two other sex workers in the early 90s was suspected of being one of the LISK killers. Nothing seems to have come from it, though. In 2020, evidence was released to the public in hopes of bringing in some more leads.